October 31, 2017

While you have been busy working, some of the rules of writing evolved, and the University of Chicago Press released a new Chicago Manual of Style. Take a look at the changes below to determine which ones you need to adopt. Then update your company style guide to be sure everyone is writing consistent, up-to-date pieces.

1. Words with web are no longer capitalized and are sometimes closed up: website, webmaster, webcam, and webcast, but web address and web browser. AP, Garner’s, and Microsoft recommend webpage, but Chicago still prefers the open web page. AP (effective 2016), Microsoft, and Chicago use the lower case web as a short form of World Wide Web, but Garner’s uses Web for that purpose.

2. You can stop capitalizing internet if you follow Chicago—or AP, which changed its approach in 2016. However, Garner’s and Microsoft still capitalize it.

3. The ever-present word email should be lower case and closed up. That’s according to Chicago, AP (effective 2011), and Microsoft. Garner's lists three versions—E-mail, e-mail, and email—noting that “The unhyphenated email is unsightly, but it might prevail in the end.” (Might? It certainly will!) Other e words are generally not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence or in a heading, and they are hyphenated: e-book, e-reader, e-commerce, e-form, e-learning.

4. The word voicemail is closed up according to AP (since 2016) and Garner's. However, Microsoft and Chicago render it open: voice mail. Chicago doesn’t single out voice mail for discussion, but its rules on compound words call for the word to be rendered open.

5. Using they as a singular pronoun has become acceptable in some cases. The Washington Post argued in late 2015: “Allowing they for a gender-nonconforming person is a no-brainer. And once we’ve done that, why not allow it for the most awkward of those he or she situations that have troubled us for so many years?”

AP chimes in on the awkwardness issue. In its 2017 edition, AP states, “They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and/or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy.” For example, to avoid revealing an individual’s gender, this their is acceptable: “The employee believed their safety could not be guaranteed.”

Chicago now states: “While this usage [they, them, their, and themselves] is accepted in those spheres [speech and informal writing], it is only lately showing signs of gaining acceptance in formal writing, where Chicago recommends avoiding its use. When referring specifically to a person who does not identify with a gender-specific pronoun, however, they and its forms are often preferred.”

Garner’s recommends its careful use: “Where it can’t be avoided, resort to it cautiously because some people may doubt your literacy.” And Microsoft advises, “Although . . . they for a singular antecedent is gaining acceptance. . . . Whenever possible, write around the problem.”

Note: The singular they always takes a plural verb, just as you does.

6. Over = more than for quantities. In 2014, AP joined Chicago and Garner’s in accepting over as synonymous with more than. Example: “She has over 20 years of experience.” AP describes over as "acceptable in all uses to indicate greater numerical value.” However, Microsoft still recommends more than for quantities; it uses over “to refer to a position or location above something.”

7. One space—not two! This isn’t a recent change. As far back as 2004, virtually all style guides have dictated one space after end punctuation and colons. If you are still using two, it’s time to adapt. Remember what happened to the dinosaurs.

8. In the 21st century, there’s no reason to render a number both spelled out and in figures—not even in contracts. Consider these redundancies: “You may cancel the contract within three (3) days” and “A deposit of $250 (two hundred fifty dollars) is due upon signing.” In the very old days, numbers were repeated to prevent them from being altered, according to attorney Bryan Garner. And back in the days of fuzzy carbon copies, spelled out numbers were easier to read. Today there’s no need for them.

I shared the changes above with a friend who wrote back: "I prefer eLearning. It still seems an unsettled question." Not to me! With so many things unsettled in the world, I'm going to defer to the style manuals and get on with my life.

How about you and your editorial team? Do you follow the advice of a well-respected style guide? Or do you go it alone?

October 03, 2017

I visited beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, last week and loved everything about it--except perhaps for its free-spirited use and avoidance of apostrophes. Its businesses' signs kept my writing teacher's mind spinning.

Here's a challenge for you: See if you can determine which of the signs are punctuated according to current writing standards. When you find one that is not correct, decide how you would change it if its owner would let you.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Can you tell why I went sign-crazy in Whistler? Which ones would you change? See my comments below.

1. Ingrid's--I love you! All your signs were consistent and correct. Ingrid is a singular noun, so its possessive form is Ingrid's.

2. St. Andrews House--what happened? Why did you choose to leave out the apostrophe? The traditional rendering is St. Andrew's.

3. Like St. Andrews, the cigar store needs an apostrophe: Castro's.

4. I savored quite a few Rogers' chocolates, and I loved their sign. Rogers' is correct. Although some style manuals would recommend Rogers's, that form would be too fussy on a sign.

5. Fat Tony's has great pizza and perfect punctuation.

6. Garfinkel's punctuated this sign correctly, but their vertical signs say Garfs (not shown).If they wanted to be consistent, they would choose Garf's.

7. and 8. These are signs for the same establishment. Buffalo Bill'swins for correctness.

9. I'd like to talk Earls into an apostrophe: Earl's.

10. I'm going to interpret Cow's cute cone as a correct apostrophe although other Cow's signs left it out.

11. and 12. These signs are trying hard to be correct. And they both might be depending on whether we want to think of one skier or more than one. But an easier way to handle Skiers Approach and Skiers Plaza is to think of them as for skiers rather than of skiers or belonging to skiers. That way, we can avoid the possessive forms and not worry about singular and plural.

13. Shoppers Drug Mart has--correctly, I think--chosen to avoid the possessive form. This approach is what I suggested for Skiers in 11 and 12.

14. Let's change this to Black's Restaurant, which would match their Black's Pubsign (not shown).

15. The creative rendering of DAVIDsTEA inspired me to watch for signs in Whistler. DAVID'S TEA would be correct but not catchy. The more I saw DAVIDsTEA rendered that way, the more it convinced me that its distinctiveness won out over conventionalism.

Do you prefer correct, conventional renderings or creative ones? And how did you do on the challenge?

I wasn't able to visit every establishment I photographed--a great reason to return to Whistler!

Would you like to feel more confident of your punctuation? Take my online self-study course Punctuation for Professionals. The free trial allows you to decide whether the course is right for you.

October 21, 2016

People who want to be technical writers often ask me whether business writing classes will help them. I answer yes—because strong business writing skills will help them be better technical writers.

But what is the difference between technical writing and business writing? I asked Julie Hale, a technical writer in the Standards group at Seattle City Light, to share her perspective. Read Julie's post below.

Julie Hale

What makes business writing different from technical writing? The two types of communication share common elements, but they serve different purposes.

The intent of both technical writing and business writing is to provide information that leads to a desired outcome. This intent creates similarities: stylistically, both use concise and specific language. In addition, the use of bulleted and numbered lists to organize information is common in both business and technical writing.

Now let’s look at the differences.

Business writing centers on the goal of creating clear, courteous, effective communication that serves the needs of companies and organizations. In some cases, the tone may be persuasive, as in the case of sales or marketing documents. The audience for this communication can be internal or external.

For example, business writing for internal use might involve memos, presentations, emails, company policies, and performance reviews. Business writing for external audiences normally includes documents like proposals, annual reports, white papers, and sales letters.

Technical writing, in comparison, is often used to produce documentation for a wide audience. Its tone is neutral. The goal of the documentation is to simplify complex information and help a user understand an idea, perform a task, or solve a problem.

The average person usually encounters technical documentation when they’re seeking a specific type of how-to information, things like manuals, software user interface guides, release notes, instructions, quickstart guides, data sheets, and the like. In some cases, technical writing may be created for a very specific audience. For example, in a software development environment, the audience for the documentation often includes other developers rather than the end user.

If you’re a proficient business writer, you’ve most likely switched into technical writing mode for a specific project—or vice versa. Understanding the needs of the audience and establishing the purpose of the communication will allow you to move more easily between these two styles.

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What would you add to Julie Hale’s views about technical and business writing? Share your comments here. Contact Julie about your technical writing project.

August 26, 2016

In a recent business writing class, a participant confessed that she didn't know a pronoun from a preposition--and she wanted to learn the difference. Why? So she could feel confident about using language correctly.

Knowing the parts of speech can help you:

Recognize which words to capitalize in a title and after a greeting.

Know which words need an apostrophe to form the possessive.

Know when to insert a comma to connect two sentences correctly.

Use the right labels to find information in a search.

Disagree confidently with people's out-of-date rules.

Do you know the parts of speech? See whether you can label each one in the example below. Every part of speech except interjections appears.

I bought drinks and deli food at the supermarket first.

Did you recognize all of them?

Compare your answers with mine:

How did you do?

A few parts of speech may have surprised you. You may have thought of drinks as a verb, but in this sentence it's a noun, a thing. You may have marked deli as a noun. It is, in sentences like this one: "I bought bagels at the deli." But in the sample sentence it's an adjective describing the noun food. The adverb first may have fooled you too. Sometimes first is an adjective: "This is her first award"; sometimes it's a noun: "He ranked first."

Yes, words can function as different parts of speech depending on where they appear in the sentence.

If you would like to improve your understanding of each of the parts of speech, read on for detailed explanations and chances to check your knowledge.

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Nouns: A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Person: customer, client, entrepreneur, mother, Dr. Singh

Place: New York, Mykonos, hospital, home, school

Thing: cookie, desk, smoking, wall, sculpture

Idea: initiative, loyalty, racism, love, knowledge

Find the nouns in the sentence below. Then label all the parts of speech.

Elle wrote cards to the clients in Brussels to express sympathy.

How many nouns did you label? I found five. Compare your parts of speech with mine:

Why it helps to recognize nouns:

You need to capitalize all nouns in titles and headings:

The Cat in the Hat for President

You capitalize nouns in greetings:

Hello Team, Dear Customer,

When nouns are possessive (showing ownership), they need an apostrophe:

Joe's Hillary Clinton's the three employees'

You need to recognize the noun (or pronoun) that is the simple subject to choose the right verb:

Your knowledge of the ins and out of benefits makes you a valuable employee. (knowledge . . . makes)

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Pronouns: A pronoun takes the place of a noun.

When you introduce a new employee, you don't have to use her name constantly. You can replace Awatef with she, her, hers, and herself. Those pronouns take the place of the noun Awatef.

As you review this list of pronouns, recognize how each one might stand in for a noun:

Verbs often paint stronger pictures than adjectives--in resumes, for example:

I am detailoriented. [adjective]

I created and compiled [action verbs that paint a picture] evaluations.

Action verbs are typically more concise than their noun counterparts:

We made a determination [noun] about our strategy.

We determined [action verb] our strategy.

We came to agreement [noun].

We agreed [action verb].

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Adverbs describe, or modify, verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Adverbs (underlined) describing verbs:

writes quickly

beautifully depicts

skis well

is leaving now

Adverbs describing adjectives:

richly expressive

terribly wordy

consistently punctual

rather unusual

Adverbs describing other adverbs:

really well

too quickly

very pointedly

extremely awkwardly

Find the adverbs and other parts of speech in this sentence:

He worked too fast and scored very poorly today.

If you didn't find five adverbs, try again. Then see my solution below.

Here's an explanation:

Fast modifies the verb worked. (How did he work? Fast.)

Too modifies the adverb fast. (How fast? Too fast.)

Poorly modifies the verb scored. (How did he score? Poorly.)

Very modifies the adverb poorly. (How poorly? Very poorly.)

Today modifies the verbs worked and scored. (When did he work and score? Today.)

Tips on adverbs:

You need to capitalize all adverbs in titles and headings, even when they are very short:

The NotSo Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

What Got You Here Won't Get You There

You can use concise adverbs to replace wordy phrases:

on an annual basis = annually

at the present time = now

in a consistent manner = consistently

most of the time = usually

Watch out for redundant adverbs, those that repeat a meaning that is clear from the verb the "modify":

refer back

reply back

recur again

continue on

combine together

finish up

Overusing adverbs such as really and very leads to weak writing. Rather than modify a word with adverbs like those, find the right word that doesn't need an adverb boost. Make changes like these:

"She is a very careful editor" = "She is a meticulous editor."

"He writes really well" = "He writes beautifully."

"It's way too hot" = "I'm roasting."

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A preposition begins a phrase that leads to a noun or pronoun. Common prepositions are in, with, to, from, at, of, for, on and through.

Examples of prepositional phrases:

I wrote to the author.

The roses are in the reception area.

On the other hand, he works at home.

This information stays between you and me.

He works from 9 to 5.

With Carol, it's difficult to know. ("To know" is not a prepositional phrase. It's an infinitive, a verb form that begins with the preposition to, like "to be or not to be.")

Look for three prepositional phrases in this sentence:

I spoke to the managers on Friday at their weekly meeting.

The prepositions are to, on, and at. Each of those prepositional phrase ends in a noun: managers, Friday, and meeting.

Helpful hints on prepositions:

Style guides differ on whether to capitalize prepositions in titles. The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago) and the MLA Handbook don't capitalize any prepositions in titles. The AP Stylebook (AP) and The Gregg Reference Manual capitalize all prepositions of four or more letters.

Chicago style: Across the River and into the Trees

AP style: Across the River and Into the Trees

Chicago style: Dogs Never Lie about Love

AP style: Dogs Never Lie About Love

It's perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition--no matter what your teacher said! However, it's more formal to keep the prepositional phrase in its normal order:

However, we still need to get input from the client. (more formal--however is an adverb, not a conjunction)

Don't capitalize short conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, and so) unless they are the first word of the title or subtitle, or the last word of the title. AP, Chicago, and The Gregg Reference Manual agree on this capitalization:

To Have or to Be

Ok, so Now You're a Vegetarian

1,000 Places to See Before You Die

An important comma rule on coordinating conjunctions:

When you use a coordinating conjunction to connect two sentences (independent clauses), you need a comma before the conjunction:

Gayle will pick up Mika,and John will take the train.

Cars are rusting in the lot,but wild flowers are bursting with blossoms.

We heard different stories,yet we came to the same conclusion.

When you connect two very short sentences, you don't need the comma unless leaving it out would cause confusion:

"The same is true for my husband, Michael, who is often addressed as Mike." October 13, 2008

"My husband Michael gets copies of my email." August 30, 2010

"My husband, Michael, is planning to participate in an event on Saturday." January 28, 2015

What's my problem? It's that I have waffled about which style guide to follow when it comes to the rule on commas setting off nonessential information.

These guides recommend the consistent use of commas around a husband or wife's name when it is used in apposition:

The Chicago Manual of Style states: "A word, abbreviation, phrase, or clause that is in apposition to a noun (i.e., provides an explanatory equivalent) is normally set off by commas if it is nonrestrictive--that is, if it can be omitted without obscuring the identity of the noun to which it refers." Chicago'sexample: "Ursula's husband, Jan, is also a writer."

The Associated Press Stylebook 2015 advises, "Set off nonessential phrases by commas." AP'sexample: "They ate dinner with their daughter Julie and her husband, David. (Julie has only one husband. If the phrase read and her husband David, it would suggest that she had more than one husband.)"

New Oxford Style Manual suggests, "Use commas to mark off a non-defining or non-restrictive word, phrase or clause which comments on the main clause or supplies additional information about it."NOSM'sexample: "I met my wife, Dorothy, at a dance."

It's The Gregg Reference Manual, a style guide I like a lot for its flexibility, that led me in the opposite direction.

Gregg states: "A number of expressions are treated as essential simply because of a very close relationship with the preceding words. (If read aloud, the combined phrase sounds like one unit, without any intervening pause.)"Gregg's example: "My wife Eve has begun her own consulting business." Gregg adds: "Strictly speaking, Eve should be set off by commas, since the name is not needed to indicate which wife. However, commas are omitted in expressions like these because they are read as a unit."

Garner's Modern English Usage also describes a flexible approach:

"Generally, a pair of commas (or, less frequently, parentheses or dashes) must frame an appositive unless the appositive is restrictive. . . . This is not a hard-and-fast rule, and many publications choose to ignore commas with a name as a short appositive of relationship, for two reasons. The first is stylistic: the written comma <my husband, Bob> does not reflect any audible pause in the spoken sentence <"my husband Bob">. The second is practical: enforcing the rule would require finding out how many brothers the subject has before deciding between his brother Blair or his brother, Blair, and that can be a lot of effort for a small payoff."

I like the clean look of "my husband Michael." Yet sometimes, "my husband, Michael," seems to flow better in a sentence. And I know that many readers, followers of AP and Chicago, wonder why I am not using the commas. So I have waffled.

But since I have been married nearly 20 years to my husband, Michael, I guess I should commit. I'll use the commas from now on.

Are you committed to those commas?

Would you like to gain skills and confidence in your use of commas and other punctuation? Take my online self-study course Punctuation for Professionals. You can check it out in a free trial.

March 25, 2016

Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders have differences. But according to the editors at The New York Times, one of them is not the way their names are made possessive. The Times forms the possessive the same way for both of them.

Times example:

But in the end, Mr. Sanders's populist economic message proved no match for Mrs. Clinton's deep ties in the state.

Do you support the candidates' positions? Don't answer that--this blog focuses on business writing! Rather, do you support the inclusion of the s after the apostrophe following both of their names?

If you do, you have The Chicago Manual of Style, Microsoft Manual of Style, and Garner's Modern American Usage on your side. Those guides argue for adding the apostrophe and the s to singular proper names.

If you don't support it, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP) agrees with you. For singular names like Sanders, which ends in s, AP adds only an apostrophe, not an apostrophe and an s--no exceptions.Following the AP rule leads to these examples:

Pundits point to Sanders' lack of pledged delegates.

Serena Williams' sister Venus also played on Sunday.

Venus' opponent was Elena Vesnina.

If you are holding back, thinking Well,it depends, you are with The Gregg Reference Manual. Gregg recommends pronunciation as a factor in deciding whether to include the s after the apostrophe for singular nouns, explaining:

If a new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, add an apostrophe plus s.

If the addition of an extra syllable would make a word ending in an s hard to pronounce, add the apostrophe only.

Brian Williams' career (an additional syllable would be hard to pronounce)

The challenge in applying Gregg's approach at work is that we may not agree on which phrases are difficult to pronounce. You might think it's easy to pronounce "Senator Sanders's donors," while I might find "Senator Sanders' donors"more reasonable.

January 20, 2016

My friend John has a graceful, sophisticated writing style in which paragraph follows elegant paragraph. John wants to change his style so that it takes him less time to communicate in letters, emails, and other pieces. He also wants his writing to be faster to read.

To help John (and you) make a writing style change, I offer these tips:

1. If your style is sophisticated like John's:Your rich, deep vocabulary and compound-complex sentences can challenge fast-moving readers of email and web content. Try these tactics:

Shorten your words. For each long word, find a shorter, simpler version. Use a thesaurus to replace comprehensible with clear, prerogative with choice, and injudiciously with carelessly.

Shorten your sentences. Make sure no sentence is longer than about 35 words, and strive for an average sentence length of 20 words or less. Avoid semicolons, the signposts of complex sentence structures.

Use short chunks of text, including bullet points, rather than relying on lengthy, well-developed paragraphs.

2. If your style is careful and formal:You will need to adapt your style for informal pieces. For example, newsletter articles, blog posts, and most presentations require a style that connects more personally with the audience. Try these tips:

Use you to address the reader rather than writing “the reader,” “one,” or “a shareholder.”

Use first names rather than last names.

Use exclamation points occasionally.

Break the traditional rules. For instance, write sentences that end with prepositions (“This is the information you have been looking for”), begin with conjunctions (“But the results surprised us”), and contain contractions (“We’re here to help”).

Use phrases to replace crisp words. For example, instead of the word occasionally, use “from time to time” or “now and then.” Such phrases are less concise but feel more casual.

3. If your style is informal:When you need to write formally—for example, in site visit reports and proposals—avoid the suggestions in Number 2 above. These steps will help you be formal:

Use complete sentences. Avoid sentence fragments such as “Good to know” or “No surprise.”

Use punctuation properly—avoid sprinkling in dashes when you are not sure how to punctuate—as in this incorrect sentence.

End your sentences with periods rather than letting them trail off with ellipses, which are illustrated here . . .

4. If your style is friendly:Recognize that friendly is not always the right tone. For example, when you are denying a claim, writing to eminent scholars, or producing executive meeting notes, you need a more formal tone. Consider the suggestions in No. 3 above, along with these:

Use last names rather than first names.

Avoid slang and contractions. Rather than “We’re psyched to meet you!” write “We are looking forward to meeting you.”

Avoid mentioning anything personal about your reader. For example, avoid “Hope you had a good weekend” and “I heard you were sick. Hopefully you are feeling better.”

5. If your style is concise:Conciseness is a virtue in nearly all business writing. But very concise writing can seem abrupt. When you need to “bulk up” your writing so it feels warmer, follow these tips:

6. If your style is wordy:A flowing conversational style can succeed in fiction and other creative forms of writing. But it can fail in business writing, which usually requires efficient, concise communication. When you need to get your point across concisely, try these tips:

Supply short explanations rather than long ones. Think of them as snacks rather than full meals. Add the note “Let me know if you need more.”

Tell yourself that your reader has 100 other pieces to read, and then write accordingly.

After you write a message, review the beginning to see whether it includes unnecessary background information or “throat-clearing.” Delete anything that precedes the real message.

Take the 10 percent challenge. Whenever you write a piece, force yourself to cut it by at least 10 percent.

7. If your style is analytical:Good business is built on solid analysis. But most business documents must focus on action and implementation. To shift your writing from analysis to application, take these steps:

Use the heading “Action Required” in your document to focus yourself and the reader on action rather than analysis.

Ask yourself, “What is the most important part of this message? What do I want the reader to do?” When you know the answer to those questions, be sure the right information stands out for the reader.

Insert an executive summary—not “background”—at the beginning of a long document. Share your conclusions, in brief, in the summary.

Use links and attachments for additional information rather than including extra content that may bog down your reader.

If you are writing about a product, recognize that your reader will not need to build it—just use it or sell it.

Pick up the phone and call. A conversation can get much faster results than a carefully constructed memo, which may not even be read.

8. If your style is dry:If you excel at facts and figures, you may at times need to enrich your style to be more compelling and persuasive. Try the techniques mentioned in Numbers 1, 2, and 7 above, and apply these tips:

Before you write, think about the most exciting part of what you have to convey. Will it excite your reader? If so, use that part as a recurring theme. For example, if a 10 percent increase in employee retention is most exciting, write “Here is how we achieved that 10 percent” and later “Here is how we will increase retention beyond 10 percent.”

Use you, I, and we. Using pronouns will make your writing more down to earth and engaging.

Bring data to life with anecdotes and analogies.

Replace columns of data with a table or chart that communicates quickly.

Add visual interest to an article or report. Use a text box to display an interesting quote, or use color for key headings.

If you feel resistant to changing your style, compare a style change to a change in clothing. The clothes you wear grocery shopping would not be appropriate at a fancy wedding. Similarly, the style you use in an email to a friend won’t work well in your project status report to senior executives. And what is in vogue today may seem odd tomorrow.

What have you done to change your writing style or to help others change theirs?

January 11, 2016

When you cut words to make your business writing more concise, be sure to keep the prepositions you need. Some prepositions bring structure and clarity to your sentences. Learn which ones below.

A client wrote to me asking whether he needed to use the prepositions in these sentences:

We finished on December 2, 2015.

The new project will begin in February 2016.

He wanted to write:

We finished December 2, 2015.

The project will begin February 2016.

Cutting those prepositions is a bad idea. They did not "finish December 2"--it finished itself. And the project will not "begin February." February will simply begin. The sentences need those little prepositions.

These expressions also need their prepositions, according to The Gregg Reference Manual and Garner's Modern American Usage:

December 31, 2015

Let's face it. In 2015 typos hid undetected in our writing. So did errors in grammar and punctuation that we would have recognized if we weren't racing to upload, print, or click Send. Mistakes happen.

But some mistakes happen over and over--not just from moving too fast but from lack of understanding. The 10 items below illustrate the top 10 errors I found in people's writing in 2015. Can you find them? One error per item.

Most of my correspondence is email, however, I also write reports and presentations.

Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.

Please feel free to contact Jesse Rosen or myself if you have questions.

He is responding to a RFP from the public utility.

Carmen thanks for your help with the newsletter.

A last minute change in one executive's bio delayed the proposal.

When the download is complete the device automatically reboots.

We are honored to have partnered with you on this important project and we look forward to our work together next year.

Best Regards,

Please attend the potluck for new members on January 11th.

Did you find one common error per item?

Hints

Punctuation is the problem in Items 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

A grammar problem appears in Number 3.

Usage is a problem in Number 4.

Capitalization ruins Number 9.

The rendering of a number mars Item 10.

Answer Key With Explanations

Use a semicolon before however when it connects two sentences. In this example, the first sentence is "Most of my correspondence is email." The second is "I also write reports and presentations." If you choose to, you can start a new sentence with however. But if you link two sentences with however, you must use a semicolon before it and a comma after it, like this:

It is cold outside; however, it is not snowing yet.

Do not connect two sentences with just a comma. If you do, your sentence will be a run-on. In this example, the first sentence is "Thanks for your time." The second is "I appreciate it." The best way to correct the run-on is to make two sentences. Here's another example:

Call me with any questions. I'm here to help.

Use the pronoun me--not myself--as an object in a sentence: "Please feel free to contact me." If you get confused about whether you need I, me, or myself, remove other people from the sentence (as I removed Jesse Rosen). Doing so should help you choose the correct pronoun. Use myself only to emphasize an I used earlier in the sentence, like these:

I called everyone myself. I myself am responsible for the accounts.

Use the article an--not a--before a word or an abbreviation that starts with a vowel sound: an RFP. Here are more correct examples in which the abbreviation starts with a vowel sound:

an FDA recall an HIV epidemic an LED screen an MBA an NSA directive an SUV

Note that sometimes an abbreviation is an acronym, which is pronounced as a word:

a NASA news story a FICO score adjustment

Use a comma to set off the reader's name in a sentence. Item 5 needs a comma after Carmen. If you address the reader in the middle of a sentence, you need two commas, like this:

Congratulations, Robby, on your new job!

When you use a combined adjective (such as last-minute)before a noun (such as change), connect the parts of the adjective with hyphens. You can recognize combined adjectives because the parts of the adjective cannot stand alone. Examples:

December 09, 2015

First name? Last name? His name? Her name? THEIR names? At this time of year, when many people mail holiday greetings, the big questions involve how to render people's names in the greeting and on the printed envelope: How do I write to two doctors? Whose name goes first, the woman's or the man's? How do I address same-sex couples?

Below are guidelines and FAQs (frequently asked questions) for what follows “Dear” and appears on envelopes. A comma--not a colon--follows all greetings in these personal messages. In a professional business message, follow your greeting with a colon.

When you know your reader and your relationship is friendly, use his or her first name in the greeting. On the envelope, use a courtesy title or just first and last name.

Use this greeting: Dear Kim,

On the envelope use: Ms. Kim Batcher OR: Kim Batcher

When your relationship is formal, use a courtesy title or a professional title and a last name. Examples of formal relationships are student to professor and nonprofit employee to donor.

Greeting: Dear Mr. Alfano,

Envelope: Mr. Albert Alfano

Greeting: Dear Professor Cook,

Envelope: Professor Amanda R. Cook

When you write to someone who is much older than you or highly esteemed, use a title and a last name.

Greeting: Dear Reverend Carlock,

Envelope: Reverend Anita Carlock

Greeting: Dear Dr. Mak,

Envelope: Dr. Ronald D. Mak OR: Ronald D. Mak, M.D.

When you write to someone you do not know very well, greet the reader using a title and last name, or use both first and last names without a courtesy title.

Greeting: Dear Ms. Yang, OR: Dear Monica Yang,

Envelope: Ms. Monica YangOR: Monica Yang

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Unless you are certain that a woman prefers the courtesy title Miss or Mrs., use the title Ms. or leave the title out. Pay attention to women’s signature blocks and online bios and profiles to see whether they communicate a preference.

Use Mx. when you write to someone who prefers a gender-neutral courtesy title. If you have trangender friends and associates, find out which courtesy titles they prefer.

Be sure not to switch between a first-name and last-name basis with someone. If you do, Salma may wonder what she did to suddenly become “Dr. Bishara.” If you have an assistant who prepares your correspondence, be sure he or she knows which approach you want to use.

Do not use an academic degree(M.S., M.D.) or professional designation (SPHR, Esq.) in the greeting. On the envelope, if you include an academic degree or professional designation after a person’s name, do not use a courtesy title that indicates the same achievement (for example, do not use Dr. and Ph.D. together). You may use a title and a degree on the same line if doing so is not redundant.

Greeting: Dear Dr. Abramson, OR: Dear Rabbi Abramson,

Envelope:Rabbi Sydney Abramson, D.D.

Greeting: Dear Dr. Pelley,

Envelope: Olive Pelley, Ph.D.

Greeting: Dear Mr. Lowe,

Envelope: Jason Lowe, CPA

Jr., Sr., and roman numerals such as IIIare normally included on the envelope, unless a message is informal. However, do not include them in your greeting.

Greeting: Dear Nicholas,

Envelope: Mr. Nicholas Parson Jr.

Greeting: Dear Mr. Noss,

Envelope: Mr. Jonathan Noss III

The modern way to address couples is to include both spouses' (or partners') names and both of their titles if titles are included. On the envelope, render the names either on the same line or one beneath the other. List first the name of the person with a special title or the primary recipient (for instance, the person you know better).

Greeting: Dear Anne and Bruce,

Envelope: Anne and Bruce Wright

Greeting: Dear Anne and Bruce Wright,

Envelope: Ms. Anne Wright Mr. Bruce Wright Jr.

Greeting: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wright,

Envelope: Mr. Bruce Wright Jr. and Mrs. Anne Wright

The traditional way to greet male-female married couples is with the man’s title first, then the woman’s title followed by the last name. On the envelope, only the man’s first name appears. This old-fashioned approach irritates many people (including me) because it diminishes the wife's importance.

Greeting: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wright,

Envelope: Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Wright Jr.

Greeting: Dear Dr. and Mrs. Terry,

Envelope: Dr. and Mrs. James Terry

Greeting: Dear Senator and Mrs. Smith,

Envelope: Senator and Mrs. Gordon Smith

In messages to two people (married, coupled, or not), include the name of the person with a special title first, or list the main recipient first. Whenever you know your readers well and want to communicate in a friendly way, use first names in the greeting. But avoid using an abbreviated form of a person’s name unless he or she uses it. For example, do not call a Juan Carlos “JC” or an Emily “Em” unless the individual does so.

Greeting: Dear Ms. Donne and Mr. Trujillo, OR: Dear Drenda and Alex,

Envelope: Ms. Drenda Donne Mr. Alessandro Trujillo

Greeting: Dear Jules and Ellen,

Envelope: Jules Bardo and Ellen Metzler

Mses. is for more than one woman with the title Ms. You may also use Ms. with each name.

Messrs. is for more than one man with the title Mr. Its use is quite formal and traditional. You may use Mr. with each man’s name instead.

Greeting: Dear Messrs. Stone and Raj, OR: Dear Mr. Stone and Mr. Raj,

Envelope: Mr. Joseph Stone Mr. Alain Raj

Know which titles to spell out. Never spell out the titles Mr., Ms., Mrs.,Mx., and Dr. Do spell out these titles and similar ones: Professor, Dean, Sister, Rabbi, Imam, Senator, Governor, Admiral, and Judge.

1. Is it acceptable to use & (the ampersand) between names in the salutation?

No. It is traditionally not acceptable to use the ampersand for and in the salutation.

2. If the person I am writing to uses two last names, do I use both or only one of them in the greeting?

You use both names in the greeting.

Dear Mr. Garcia Lopez, Dear Ms. Gaertner-Johnston,

3. Is it better to err on the side of friendliness or formality?

You will virtually always be correct if you use a courtesy title or a professional title such as Ms., Mr., Dr., Father, or Dean for your recipient. But think about whether you want the communication to feel personal or professional, informal or formal.

4.If I am writing to a family and each person has the same last name, what is the proper greeting?

5. When writing to an entire family, should everyone’s name be on the envelope and in the greeting?

Rather than crowd envelopes and greetings with many names, you can use the parents’ names with “and Family.” For example, address the envelope to “Ernest and Kate Elgin,” with a greeting to “Dear Ernest, Kate, and Family.” Or use just the last name in both places: on the envelope “The Robinsons” and for a greeting “Dear Robinsons.”

6. Should I use Miss or Ms. for a young girl?

Emily Post’s Etiquette suggests the use of Miss until age 16 to 18, then Ms. The Gregg Reference Manual recommends addressing teenage girls as Ms. or Miss, following the girl’s preference when you know it. For younger girls, Gregg indicates that you may use a title or omit it.

For boys, Emily Post’s Etiquette recommends the title Master until age 6 to 7, then no title until age 16 to 18 years, then Mr. In contrast, The Gregg Reference Manual recommends addressing a boy as Mr. when he becomes a teenager. Gregg notes that Master is rarely seen.

7. If I am sending a letter to many people, may I use a greeting such as “Dear Stephen et al.”?

Et al., which is Latin for “and others,” is not appropriate in a greeting. Many people will stumble over it, detracting from your message, and it's too clinical for a relationship-building message. If you need to greet up to five people, use all of their names. If you have more than five readers, try a group greeting such as:

Dear Chamber Members,

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